Engine.



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PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907'. J. LIL. STADEL.

v ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED HOV. 2.1904.

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No. 857,842. v PATENTED JUNE 15g? J. M. STADEL.

ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED NGV. 2, 190

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tinrrnn STATES PATENT orrron.

JUHN M. srAnnL, or WILMINGTON, DEL'AwARE, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO noon 0. LOWREY, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907.

To aZZ whom, it mag/concern.-

Be it lmown that 1, JOHN M. STADEL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Wilmington, in the county of Newcastle, State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Engines, of which the following is a specification. 3 i My invention relates to engines and the object of my invention is to construct an engine operating on the vacuum principle. In the course of experiments, I have observed the great power that can be gotten from dropping a few drops of gasolene'or similar'fiuid intoa vessel closed at all but its up er end, igniting this gasolene or fluid, and c osing the vessel just after the rapidly burning. vapor drives the air out of the vessel. This action produces avacuum strong enough to make it extremely diflicult to remove the cover from the vessel. As I have stated it is the object of my invention to provide an engine in which this action may be carried out, and I have devised such an engine, which is illustrated, in one of its many forms, in the accompanying drawings. 7

My invention therefore consists in a vacuum engine, the preferable embodiment of which will be hereinafter'more particularly described and then claimed at the end. hereof.

In the drawings which accompany this application which I wish it distinctly understood are merely to illustrate one way of care 'rying out my invention: Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine operating on my principle parts being shown in section in order that they may better be understood. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same viewing the engine at right angles to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the cams. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the-piston and connecting rod, with the cylinder shown diagrammatically. Fig. 5 isa similar view with the parts in a different position. Fig. 6 is a vertical central section of the piston and its igniter. Figs. 7 and 8 are top planviews of thepiston and its igniter. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the igniter detached.

Referringnow to the details of the drawings by. numerals: 1 indicates the cylinder supported on a casting 3 which in turn rests upon and is bolted to the base 5, all three of which may be formed of any construction desired.

The cylinder 1 is of course jacketed as indiother driving means.

a pump 30 for purposes of pumping.

Resting upon and firmly bolted to the base 5 are the bearings, one on each side, in which the main shaft 12 finds its support. The shaft is provided with the usual crank 13 near its center and its ends project through the casting 3. At one end of theshaft 12 there are keyed the usual fly-wheel l4 and a gear 15, and at the opposite end there is a gear 17, for the purpose of transmitting power to the shaft 19 carrying the pulley or This shaft 19 is sup-' ported in bearings 20 and-21, the first of which is formed integral with the cylinder 1, and the other forms the upper end of a:standard 23 securely bolted to the base 5. The

which meshes with the gear 17 and receives motion therefrom and transmits it to the pul-' ley 25, from which it may be transmitted by means of a belt to any machine to be driven; or as shown in Fig. 1, the shaft 19 is provided with an eccentric 27 and rod 29 to opeIrate t 1s manifest that the pump may be omitted if desired, .as may also the pulley 25 as the power may be transmitted direct from either ofthe shafts 10 and 19, as occasion may require.

The main shaft 12 is of course operated from the cylinder, and hence the cylinder is provided with a piston, such as the trunk piston shown at 32 in Fig. 2, a connecting rod 34 being employed to connect the piston and crank 13; and'while these parts may be of any ordinaryconstruction, I prefer the special construction shown in'Fig. 2, and which will hereinafter be described ing the igniter.

To the upper end of the cylinder 1 1s connected the head 36, which may be bolted to the cylinder in the manner common to engines; but this head, instead of being solid as ordinarily made, is formed with a large openin detail in describing 38 which formsa seat for avalve 40. The

stem 41 which is connected to this valve 40 finds its bearing in a tubular support 43,

which, in turn is supported by the yoke 44, illustrated in Fig. 2, as being bolted to the head of the cylinder by the saine bolts which secure the head in position. The valve 40 needs to be normally closed, and for this purposite sides of the piston.

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pose a spring at) is employed which is lo cated around the stem 41 and finds its bearings against the alve and the lower end of the tubular support 43. In order that tnis valve may be opened when necessary for the purpose and in the manner hereinafter described, I connect the upper end of the valve stem with links 48, and these links are connected with the uppercurved end 50 of a rod 52 which is vertically movable in guides 5 screwed to the side of the cylinder. At the lower end of this vertically movablerod 52 there is an arm 53 in which is journaled a roller 54 and this roller bears upon a cam 56 secured to and revolving with a cam-shaft 58. The shaft 58 is supported in bearings 60, and at one end is provided with gear 61 meshing with the gear 15 hereinbefore described as secured to and revolving with the main shaft 12. It follows, therefore, that as the main shaft is rotated by the piston, the gear 15 imparts motion to the shaft through the gear 61, and as the shaft 58 rotates, the cam 56 is also rotated, the effect of which is to elevate the vertically movable rod 52 and, through the links 48 and the valve stem 41, lift the valve against the tension of the spring 26, so as to open the cylinder and admit a new supply of air to balance the pressure on op- As the cam shaft continues to rotate, the cam again moves to the position shown in the drawings and permits the spring 46 to close the valv The fuel supply-valve is indicated by the numeral 63, and. this valve is also normally kept closed by a spring 6 1. To one side of the valve casing is connected theinlet pipe 65, and to the opposite side, the supply pipe 66 which passes into the cylinder and is preferably provided with. a curved end 67, arranged to drop the fluid whenever the valve 63 is opened a ilDSi/ the tension of its spring. The valve lso prcvid'edwith a stem 69 which proje ts out of stuffing box '70. operate t =89 to move it upwa li to supply g in to the cylinder, 1 emploing rod 73 supported in. beari to the cylinder. This rt ieans ol a s lower end r i a U 'l to the me slat 'cnr d tion it follows that as the a lower end fie of the v, reaches up n id then the the valve and s r fluid. The c e proper meme; 3, i g pOl'bi' passes from under the end Z6 of the rod 5, and said rod therefore is caused, by its spring, to descend, and of course the spring 64 at the same time closes the valve 68 and shuts oil the supply of fluid. In order that the supply may be regulated, I employ senses an adjustable head 78 which is scretwthreaded onto the rod 73; and this head may be adjusted so as to be nearer to, or farther from the valve stem 69, and thus open the valve 63 to a greater or less extent, according to the way the head 78 is adjusted.

lt .vill'be obvious that any fluid fed from the supply pipe 66 maybe ignited by any de sired form of igniter, but I much prefer the form shown in the drawings. In this form the piston is formed witlfbosses 82 and 83 formed on opposite sides and in which bosses is supported a small spindle Set. Projecting through the piston is any form of igniter contact 85, and the companion or movable contact is indicated at 87 as projecting from a collar 88 fixed to the spindle 84. At the opposite end of the spindle 84 is secured a cam 89 by which the spindle may be moved, and from this cam projects a lug 90 which is adapted to contact with a stop 91 projecting from the piston. A spring 92 is coiled around the spindle 84 and has one end 93 projecting into a recess in the piston while its other end 94 passes up into an opening in the collar 88 this spring being for the purpose of normally holding the lug 90 against the stop 91. The construction so far described is such that when the movable contact 87 touches the fixed contact a current from the usual electric circuit is completed, and of course when the spring 92 separates the movablecontact 87 from the fixed contact 85 the circuit is broken and the usual spark results. It is of course necessary to provide some means for rotating the spindle 84 in order to make and break the circuit at the proper moment, and I accomplish this by forming an arm 96 on the piston end of theconnecting rod .34, and through this arm works a rod Elia on the end of which is a linger 99 the latter being held in its normal position by means of a coiled spring 100. The parts are so cons'ructed that the finger 99 is arranged to cooperate with the cam. 89 and move the same with its spindle 84- and movable c'ontac; point 37 against the tension of the spring During the movement of the piston, in order the lower end of the connecting rod 34 ess arily works on the rod 16], and as end of the connecting rod 3i mo from one side of the engine to the other, tin" arn'i with its linger 99, is caused to lGClP rocate back and fortl'i in a line across the f of the cam 89. In doing this, the finger (a contacts with the projection. 102 on the t9 and rotates said cam unti the fur-Linimovement of the arm 96 and its finger 9U frees the linger from the projection 102, and thus permits the spring 92 to return the cam to its normal position. The first half of the movement of the arm 96 and its finger 99 causes the contact 87 to close the circuit, and the positions of the parts are such that the move around the crank 13, its upper:

' and a similar aperture 106 in the wall of the piston are movedso that they coincide with an opening 107 in the casing of the cylinder, the nozzle of an oil can may be inserted through these apertures-and .the bearing of the piston rod suitably oiled. In order that the spindle 84 may also be properly oiled, I form a depression or recess 110 in the upper face of the piston, and this depression is connected by means of passage 111,.shown in dotted lines, with the aperture in which is located the spindle 84.. It follows that when the piston moves up'and down and is lubricated by the oil flowing from the lubricator 112, the oil is scraped in the depression or recess 110 and from thence flows through the passage 111 to the spindle and thus thoroughly oils the same.

' The operation of my engine is as follows: As shown in Fig. 2, the parts are illustrated with the supply valve 63 closed and with the valve 40 also closed. This means that after the fluid has been supplied to the cylinder, it has been ignited and the resulting h'ot flame causes a swift rush of the air from the cylinder, and the valve 40 is then closed, thus creating a vacuum in the cylinder which causes the piston to be drawn upward. By the time the piston reaches theupper end of its stroke the valve 40 is opened, and hence the air may again enter the cylinder to balance the pressure on opposite sides of the piston, which latter is returned to its lower position by the wei ht of its parts and by the momentum o. the fl wheel; Asthe piston reaches the lower end of this stroke, the connecting rod 34 moves soas to close the circuit between the contacts 85 and 87, and the cam 7 7' is moved so as to shove its rod 73 upward to open the supply valve and permit the fluidto drop onto the piston. At this point, a

sli ht further movement permits the supply va ve 63 to close and the movement of the cf'ank past the lower center, in the manner before'described, permits the movable contact 87 to move away from the contact 85, thus causing a spark which ignites the fluid, the resultingexplosion or the flames resulting from the ignition, causing a rushing upward of'the gases, driving all the air out of the cylinder. The'cam 56 is so shaped that just after the explosion takes place it permits the spring 46 to close the valve 40, thus forming a vacuum in the cylinder between the piston and head and, as the atmos heric pressure acts upon the opposite side of the piston, the latter is moved up, as before described.

YVhat I claim as new is:

1. In an engine, a working piston, a cylinder therefor having a fuel supply and an exhaustport near one end, a valve for said fuel supply, an igniter arranged to ignite the fuel when the piston is near the opposite end, a valve controlling said exhaust port, means 0 crating from the crankshaft for opening t e'valve supplying the fuel, and means for closing the exhaust valve immediately after theignition and expulsion of the gases, said valve afterward openin to permit the entrance of a new supply of air, substantially as described. 7 k1 c 2. 11 an en e, a wor in iston, a cy in der therefor hi t ing a fuel s1? ply and an exhaust port near one end, a va ve for said fuel supply, an igniter arranged to ignite the fuel when the piston is near, the opposite end, a valve controlling said exhaust port, means operating from the crank shaft for opening t e valve supplying the fuel, and means comprising a cam permitting the exhaust valve to close immediately after the ignition and expulsion of the gases, said cam afterward opening said exhaust valve to permit the entrance of a new supply of air, substantially as described.

3. In an engine, a working piston and its piston rod, a cylinder therefor having a fuel supply and an exhaust port near one end, a valve for said fuel supply, an igniter arranged to ignite the fuel when the piston is near the opposite end, said igniter having its circuit made and broken by the movement of the said piston-rod, a valve controlling said exhaust port, and means operating from the crank shaft for opening the valve supplying the fuel and means for closing the exhaust valve immediately after the ignition and expulsion of the gases, said valve afterward 

